Work is underway on an ambitious Ballarat-led industrial build with a deadline similar - or even less - than the typical time frame for a house construction.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
H Troon, in partnership with Troon Group, is confident they can pull off the impressive feat with a June finish date locked in.
The Ballarat construction and development giants turned the first sod with City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson on the project, an 8200 square-metre warehouse for an undisclosed tenant keen to move in mid-next year in the Troon industrial estate in the Ballarat West Employment Zone.
This build is more than four times the size of the biggest Bunnings, which H Troon is well-versed in delivering.
Troon Group managing director Tom McInerney said this was an ambitious play - but was also what H Troon construction director James Troon and his team "just do".
"For Ballarat, this means new industry is coming to Ballarat and new industry groups needing to come who didn't want an owner-occupier site," Mr McInerney said.
"We have one more [warehouse] delivered nearby that has been speculatively built...the depth in tenant seeking such sites is high."
CHECK OUT A MAP OF WHO'S WHO IN BWEZ:
Both projects follow the completed construction on a base for food relief charity Foodbank, which is yet to open in the precinct.
Preparatory works on the latest warehouse started in mid-October with the project having been enacted in June.
H Troon construction director James Troon, speaking in a celebration to start construction, made clear this was a significant investment milestone and a hard task, requiring strong support, to reach this construction phase.
Large components, such as structural steel, would be made in H Troon's nearby manufacturing facility.
Mr Troon said other trades and supplies would be sought primarily from Ballarat, as had been the company's philosophy for more than 150 years.
IN OTHER NEWS:
BWEZ is a joint initiative between the Victorian Government and City of Ballarat to support the region's economic growth. The 438-hectare project involves the development of surplus Crown land for industrial, wholesale, logistics, construction, commercial and residential uses, encouraging employment growth in Ballarat and the surrounding region.
Troon Group holds a 4.6-hectare industrial estate.
City of Ballarat mayor Des Hudson said the benefit to serving a long period in local government was in seeing projects such as BWEZ take shape and create tens of thousands of jobs and economic security, not just for Ballarat but for the region.
Cr Hudson was serving on council when initial plans for BWEZ started. He was in his first term as mayor to turn the first sod with then-Victorian Regional Development Minister Jaala Pulford in 2016.
He said while there were still vacant land parcels within BWEZ, many had been sold to industry set on coming to Ballarat and projects, such as in the Troon estate were a vital part of community development.
Cr Hudson also said there was an enormous amount of "intricate" work from City of Ballarat teams behind the scenes in bringing together "pieces of the puzzle" to make BWEZ work.
Sign-up for The Courier's news alerts direct to your inbox. Select Breaking News Alerts in My Newsletters & Alerts in your account preference centre.